Continuity issues: SC, SEG and NS-SEC
The operational categories of the NS-SEC can be aggregated to produce approximated Social Class based on Occupation and approximated Socio-economic Group, as shown in Tables A, B and C. These approximations achieve a continuity level of 87 per cent for both Social Class and SEG.
In the course of re-basing the NS-SEC on SOC2000 the developers produced a derivation of Social Class and SEG based on SOC2000 by making certain assumptions on changes over time and assessments of the relationship between SOC90 and SOC2000 unit groups. This is available from the website for the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex.
Additionally, the NS-SEC based on SOC90 has been developed. Tables for deriving the NS-SEC based on SOC90 are now included with these pages.
Table A - Operational Categories of the NS-SEC linked to Social Class
| Social class | NS-SEC Operational Categories | |
| I | Professionals, etc. occupations | 3.1, 3.3 |
| II | Managerial and technical occupations |
1, 2, 3.2, 3.4, 4.1, 4.3, 5, 7.3, 8.1, 8.2, 9.2 |
| III | Skilled occupations - non-manual |
4.2, 4.4, 6, 7.1, 7.2, 12.1, 12.6 |
| III | Skilled occupations - manual |
7.4, 9.1, 10, 11.1, 12.3, 13.3 |
| IV | Partly skilled occupations |
11.2, 12.2, 12.4, 12.5, 12.7, 13.1, 13.2, 13.5 |
| V | Unskilled occupations |
13.4 |
Table B - Operational Categories of the NS-SEC linked to Socio-economic Groups
| Socio-economic group | NS-SEC operational categories | |
| 1 |
Employers and managers in central and local government, industry, commerce, etc. - large establishments |
|
| 1.1 |
Employers in industry, commerce, etc. - large establishments |
1 |
| 1.2 |
Managers in central and local government, industry, commerce, etc. - large establishments |
2 |
| 2 |
Employers and managers in industry, commerce, etc. - small establishments |
|
| 2.1 |
Employers in industry, commerce, etc. - small establishments |
8.1 |
| 2.2 |
Managers in industry, commerce, etc. - small establishments |
5 |
| 3 |
Professional workers - self-employed |
3.3 |
| 4 |
Professional workers - employees |
3.1 |
| 5 |
Intermediate non-manual workers |
|
| 5.1 |
Ancillary workers and artists |
3.2, 3.4, 4.1, 4.3, 7.3 |
| 5.2 |
Foremen and supervisors non-manual |
6 |
| 6 |
Junior non-manual workers |
4.2, 7.1, 7.2, 12.1, 12.6 |
| 7 |
Personal service workers |
12.7, 13.1 |
| 8 |
Foremen and supervisors - manual |
10 |
| 9 |
Skilled manual workers |
7.4, 11.1, 12.3, 13.3 |
| 10 |
Semi-skilled manual workers |
11.2, 12.2, 12.4, 13.2 |
| 11 |
Unskilled manual workers |
13.4 |
| 12 |
Own account workers (other than professional) |
4.4, 9.1 |
| 13 |
Farmers - employers and managers |
8.2 |
| 14 |
Farmers - own account |
9.2 |
| 15 |
Agricultural workers |
12.5, 13.5 |
| 16 |
Members of armed forces |
- |
| 17 |
Inadequately described and not stated occupations |
16 |
Table C - Social Class and Socio-economic Group linked to Operational Categories of the NS-SEC
|
National Statistics Socio-economic Classification Operational Categories |
Approx. Social Class |
Approx. SEG |
|
|
L1 |
Employers in large organisations |
II |
1.1 |
|
L2 |
Higher managerial |
II |
1.2 |
|
L3.1 |
Higher professionals (traditional) - employees |
I |
4 |
|
L3.2 |
Higher professionals (new) - employees |
II |
5.1 |
|
L3.3 |
Higher professionals (traditional) - self-employed |
I |
3 |
|
L3.4 |
Higher professionals (new) - self-employed |
II |
5.1 |
|
L4.1 |
Lower professionals and higher technical (traditional) - employees |
II |
5.1 |
|
L4.2 |
Lower professionals and higher technical (new) - employees |
IIIN |
6 |
|
L4.3 |
Lower professionals and higher technical (traditional) - self-employed |
II |
5.1 |
|
L4.4 |
Lower professionals and higher technical (new) - self-employed |
IIIN |
12 |
|
L5 |
Lower managerial |
II |
2.2 |
|
L6 |
Higher supervisory |
IIIN |
5.2 |
|
L7.1 |
Intermediate clerical and administrative |
IIIN |
6 |
|
L7.2 |
Intermediate sales and service |
IIIN |
6 |
|
L7.3 |
Intermediate technical and auxiliary |
II |
5.1 |
|
L7.4 |
Intermediate engineering |
IIIM |
9 |
|
L8.1 |
Employers in small organisations (non-professional) |
II |
2.1 |
|
L8.2 |
Employers in small organisations (agriculture) |
II |
13 |
|
L9.1 |
Own account workers (non- professional) |
IIIM |
12 |
|
L9.2 |
Own account workers (agriculture) |
II |
14 |
|
L10 |
Lower supervisory |
IIIM |
8 |
|
L11.1 |
Lower technical craft |
IIIM |
9 |
|
L11.2 |
Lower technical process operative |
IV |
10 |
|
L12.1 |
Semi-routine sales |
IIIN |
6 |
|
L12.2 |
Semi-routine service |
IV |
10 |
|
L12.3 |
Semi-routine technical |
IIIM |
9 |
|
L12.4 |
Semi-routine operative |
IV |
10 |
|
L12.5 |
Semi-routine agriculture |
IV |
15 |
|
L12.6 |
Semi-routine clerical |
IIIN |
6 |
|
L12.7 |
Semi-routine childcare |
IV |
7 |
|
L13.1 |
Routine sales and service |
IV |
7 |
|
L13.2 |
Routine production |
IV |
10 |
|
L13.3 |
Routine technical |
IIIM |
9 |
|
L13.4 |
Routine operative |
V |
11 |
|
L13.5 |
Routine agricultural |
IV |
15 |
|
L14.1 |
Never worked |
- | - |
|
L14.2 |
Long-term unemployed |
- | - |
|
L15 |
Full-time students |
- | - |
|
L16 |
Occupations not stated or inadequately described |
- |
17 |
| L17 | Not classifiable for other reasons | - | - |
